Liquid-reserve-supply device



Oct. 21 19241 F. G. WHITTINGTON LIQUID RESERVE SUPPLY DEVICE Filed June 21, 192?.

Patented Get. 21, 1924.

UNED f FREDERIK G. VIHITTINGTON, OF EVANSTON, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO STEWART-WAR- HER SPEEIDOMETER CORPORATION, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF VIRGINIA.

LIQUID-RESERVE-S'UPPLY DEVICE.

Application filed June 21, 1922.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FREDERIK G. WHIT- TINGTON, a citizen of the United States, residing in Evanston, in the county of Cook and the State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Liquid Reserve-Supply Devices, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part thereof.

This invention relates to means for providing a reserve quantity of liquid in a supply tank such as the gasoline tank from which an internal combustion engine is fed, together with means for rendering the reserve supply available at the will of theoperator and for insuring that when the tank is refilled the means for controlling the reserve supply shall be reset automatically without attention from the operator. The invention consists in certain features and elements of construction and their combination as hereinafter described and shown in the drawings and as indicated by the claims.

In the drawings Figure l is an interior Vertical section of a fuel tank showing a reserve controlling device embodying this invention with the parts adjusted for warning the operator when the main fuel supply is exhausted.

Figure 2 is a sectional view similar to Figure 1 but showing the parts adjusted for utilizing the reserve supply.

Figure 3 is a fragmental top plan View of the tank with the device embodying this invention applied thereto.

In the drawings the fuel supply tank is partially shown in section at 1, and it may be understood that this invention is applicable to liquid supply systems in which the liquid is withdrawn from the main tank upwardly by suction or by super-atmosphericpressure applied to the liquid in the tank, but is not intended for tanks which feed by gravity to the point of use. In the present structure a fitting, 2, is applied to the top wall of the tank, 1, and includes an elbow,3, a coupling, 4, and feed pipe,5, through which the liquid withdrawn from the tank is transferred to the point of use, as by the vacuum feed device of an automobile through which it is transferred to the carbureter. Extending downwardly withing the tank, 1, from the fitting 2, is

Serial No. 569,879.

a suction pipe, 6, reaching nearly to the bottom of thetank and having an opening, 7, at its lower end through which the liquid may be withdrawn by suction or by pressure as indicated, except when a port, 8, at a limited distance above the bottom of the tank is left uncovered as shown in Figure 1. It will be evident that withthe port, 8, open suction or pressure will cease to withdraw liquid through the pipe, 6, when the liquid level recedes to said port, 8, or just below it. When this occurs theliquid feed mg mechanism, Whatever it may be, will simply withdraw air from the upper portion of the tank, 1, and if the liquid is fuel such as gasoline, being used in the carbureter of the engine of the motor vehicle, the engine will stop very soon after the liquid fuel ceases to flow from the tank, 1, thus warning the operator that the engine has consumed the.

main supply of liquid in the tank.

The liquid below the level of the port, 8,

is thus constituted a reserve supply to be brought into use after exhaustion of the maln supply, and after the operator has been warnedof such exhaustion so that he may plan immediately for refilling of the tank before the reserve supply shall be used up. The reserve supply is made available by lowerlng the valve member, 9, in the form tube, 6, and controlled as to its position thereon by means of a rod, 10, engaging a lug, 11, between nuts, 12- and 13, fixed on the lower end of the rod, 10. The upper end of therod, 10, outside the tank, 1, and just of a sleeve slidably mounted on the pipe or above the fitting, 2, is bent at right angles at'lt so as to lienormally upon the upper surface of the fitting, 2, but to permit adjusting the valve sleeve, 9, downwardly upon" the pipe, 6, the fitting, 2, is formed with a notch, 15, adjacent the opening through V which the rod, 10, extends so that by swing;-

left in its lower position closing the port,

8, it is evident that no warning signal would be given the operator as the new quantity became nearly exhausted, and he would be in danger of using up the total supply at some point out of range of a filling station.

Therefore the sleeve, 9, must be raised to its upper position before the liquid above the port, 8, has been used up and preferably this should be done at the time of refilling the tank. invention dispenses with the necessity of remembering to reset the valve sleeve, 9. I provide a float, 18, attached to said sleeve, so that as the tank is refilled the buoyancy of the float, 18, will carry the sleeve, 9, upward as far as the stop collar, 19, fixed on the pipe, 6,-this being far enough to release the bent portion, 14:, of the rod, "10, from its notch, 15, and permit its spring, 16, to swing this handle portion, 1 1, back across the upper surface of the fitting, 2, in which position it will remain, stopped against the elbow, 3, until the liquid level has receded to the port, 8, and the reserve supply is put in service by manual adjustment of said handle, 1 1, as already described.

I claim: 7

1. In combination with a liquid supply tank a feed pipe extending downwardly therein,having an upper and a lower opening, the former being a lateral port, a valve sleeve of uniform diameter freely slidable on the pipe for closing or opening said port, a rod attached to said sleeve and extending outside the tank for manual adjustment of the valve, a float attached to the sleeve adapted to raise it for opening the port when suificient liquid is placed in the tank, and automatic means releasable at will, associated with the rod for retaining said sleeve in raised position.

2. In combination with a liquid supply tank a feed pipe extending downwardly therein and provided with an upper and a lower opening for withdrawal of liquid, a valve device adapted to control the upper of said openings, a control rod for said valve device, a fitting on the wall of the tank having an aperture through which said rod extends slidably, said rod having a transverse- 1y extending portion at its outer end portion adapted at one position of the rod in said fitting to be stopped on the fitting for holding the rod in valve-opening position, and the fitting having a recess opening outwardly from said aperture and extending to the surface of said fitting on which said transverse portion of the rod is stopped adapted to accommodate said transversely extending portion of the rod when the rod is rotated in the aperture to carry said transversely extending portion into alignment with said recess, and spring means reacting upon the rod for holding it against such rotation and adapted to rotate it to carry said transverse portion away from said recess and into stopped position upon the red being moved to valve-opening position.

3. In the construction defined in claim 1, foregoing, the valve operating rod being extended through the fitting for Ligand-down movement to control the valve, whereby the stopping of the transverse portionof-the rod on the fitting and the movement of the trans verse aortic-n of the rod into the recess when registered therewith is effected by gravity.

4. In combination with the construction defined in claim 1, foregoing, a float in the tank connected with the valve device for holding the valve device and the red at open position o1 the valve and permitting them to descend to closing position on the valve upon a predetermined low level of liquid in the tank.

5. In the construction defined in claim 1, foregoing, the means for holding the rod with its transverse portion normally out of registration with the recess being a spring coiled about the rod and stopped at one end thereon at the other end against the connection of the rod with the valve device.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand at Chicago, Illinois, this 19th day of June, 1922.

FREDERIK G. VVHITTINGTON. 

